COTE Year 2 Reimagined

Volume 9:Part 6

Now that I was selected as the leader for the mansion exam, I had to select four students to accompany me. It didn't matter who I picked, I was sure I could win regardless, but I still wanted someone I could trust.

As per the rules of this exam, I could pick four students. However, I only needed two reliable ones, and the other two could be chosen at random.

My first pick was Yousuke. I knew he would be useful if he followed my orders, but he probably wouldn't do much if I left him here with Horikita. Kushida, on the other hand, could perform well regardless, so I decided to leave her here to support Horikita, I didn't particularly care for our class rankings but it couldn't hurt to try and rise up.

Just as I was about to pick the second students, I felt someone's gaze fixated on me. I looked back at that person, and our eyes met. It was somewhat surprising to see who it was, but I didn't let myself lose focus. I decided to give that person a chance to speak and got up to leave the classroom as if I were going to the bathroom.

As expected, that person followed me outside. I waited nearby, and soon enough, they saw and approached me.

"Do you need something from me?"

I decided to start the conversation in a somewhat polite tone to avoid antagonising that person. After all, the girl standing before me bore a heavy grudge against me after what I did during the unanimous special exam. It was Hasebe Haruka.

"You've been selected as a leader. Right?"

Haruka wasn't one to get deeply involved in special exams, so her question was strange. The fact that she guessed my role was also impressive but not surprising considering I've had more and more eyes on me during our second year, not to mention that the  nature of my relationship with Horikita would imply that I was her "right hand man" per her own words so it wasn't unnatural for her to make me a leader when she couldn't do it herself.

"What if I was?"

I decided to avoid answering in case she was still trying to sabotage our class, although I highly doubt that was her intention here.

"I want you to select me."

That was unexpected. Haruka wanted to join me on the exam? Perhaps she wanted to keep an eye on me? Deciphering her intentions would require too much work and yield minimal benefits, so I decided to drop that train of thought. Even if Haruka had some ulterior motive, I was sure I could stop her if she interfered with my plans.

"Sure."

Judging from the look on her face, I'd say Haruka definitely didn't expect me to accept her request so easily. After all, under normal circumstances, no one would accept it. However, for me, who didn't see Haruka as a threat and was incredibly curious to find out her real intentions, I hardly hesitated to indulge her.

"During the unanimous special exam, I realised that you were a completely different person than I thought. I knew you were special before, but not to this extent."

Despite her surprise, Haruka managed to stay composed and started talking.

"At first, I blamed you for being a malicious liar. But now I think that maybe some fault lies with me as well. We were friends, and yet I failed to understand you. Maybe the reason Airi accepted her expulsion and wanted us to make up is because she understood you more than I did."

Friends. I'm sure that's what the four of them thought we were. For me, it wasn't so simple. It's not that I didn't want to be friends with them, I simply couldn't comprehend what being "friends" actually meant. It was easy enough on paper, but in real life, things aren't as simple as they seemed back when I was in the white room. Human emotions are much more complicated than any piece of writing could ever convey.